Giant Meccano bridge to be built in Bolton

A giant Meccano bridge is to be erected over a canal in Nob End in Little Lever, Bolton. And no, this isn't a joke.

Artist and childhood Meccano fan Liam Curtin (pictured) designed the bridge, which he will build himself with help from volunteers this Saturday (December 8th). Construction is expected to take until Tuesday.

Bolton's local tradesmen made the giant Meccano pieces which, apart from their size, appear indistinguishable from Meccano’s famous metal plates and nuts and bolts system.

“Building a bridge from giant Meccano is the fulfillment of a childhood dream,” said Curtin. “I spent my entire childhood building mechanical devices from Meccano and now we have the largest Meccano style set in the world.”

The larger-than-life toy bridge will span 6.4 metres across Nob End’s canal, at the site of an old disused horse bridge.

Curtin said: “It wasn’t until I actually saw the finished pieces arriving from the factory that I realised we had created something quite wonderful. As members of the canal society unpacked the lorry they appeared like Lilliputian figures in a magical toy world.”

The £90,000 project is funded through an agreement with a developer as part of a local planning application

Bolton Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Nick Peel, said: “When this bridge is complete it will be a very distinctive landmark structure.

“This project is unique not just in the sense that it is scaled up Meccano but because local people are actually building their own footbridge and it is bringing the community together.”

Curtin added: “I am so grateful to everyone involved. The engineers at Bolton Council have been creative and inventive and given us something which is structurally sound without compromising the artwork.”

Want to receive up to the minute toy industry news straight to your inbox? Click here to sign up for the free ToyNews Daily Digest and Newsflash services. You can also follow ToyNews on Twitter and Facebook.